There was a dream, there was a plan, and Saturday’s inaugural game is the fruition of Salem CC;s work, includes a list of firsts, inaugural starters
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – Mike Gorman was in his customary seat on the top row of the bleachers as he is for every Salem Community College athletics event he attends. As an old lineman he’d rather be in the end zone because he says it gives the best perspective on the game, but where he positioned himself Saturday provided a better chance to mingle with the all the people who came to share this important day in the college’s history.
As the college president looked out on the field at Lou D’Angelo Stadium as he greeted both the well-wishers and the curious, the first Salem CC football team was going through its pre-game warmup. A little over a year ago, the idea of the school having a junior college football team was the vision of only a few. But Saturday afternoon that vision became a reality for all as the Mighty Oaks took on Hudson Valley Community College in the first game in the Carneys Point school’s history.
The Mighty Oaks lost the game 26-18, but they sent the crowd of about 850 home buzzing after Aidan Hill, their third quarterback of the game, threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jahfarri Payne on the final play of the game to tighten the margin.
“It’s been a dream for a long time, it’s been a plan for the last two years, and today is the fruition of all those labors,” Gorman said before the game. “Once the kickoff occurs it’s another game and everything else just kind of leans to the side and we focus on the field and the athletes on the field.
“I was walking the dog early this morning and there was that flavor in the air that tells you football season’s here and guess what – it is.”
Bringing a junior college football program to South Jersey was a vision of former Rowan head coach Jay Accorsi, who would ultimately become the Mighty Oaks’ head coach. Accorsi brought his vision to Gorman, and the proposal went to the college’s board last fall. Their shared vision was one of not just having a football team but changing lives of prospective students who would be attracted to to the college who might not have had the opportunity to attend college otherwise.
The board unanimously approved the project, the school officially launched the program in January and the athletics department spent the next seven month bringing everything together culminating in Saturday’s inaugural game.
“I told the team, last year at this time these guys were all over the place,” Accorsi said. “All the coaches were all over the place. I was trying to convince the school to start football. So, to think in less than a year we’re eight points from a team that went 9-1, that’s crazy. You couldn’t draw up a script, and I couldn’t be more pleased.”
Gorman; SCC board chairman Jason Supernavage; Pennsville Schools Superintendent Dr. Kyle Baker-Plale; Marc Ray, the college’s new CFO; Billy Mays, an associate professor of mathematics representing the SCC faculty; and Maura Cavanagh Dick, SCC’s associate dean of academic affairs, served as honorary captains for the inaugural game. They stood behind the team’s game captains – Ben Secouler, Jermar Jones, Brian Pritchett and Aidan Alexander – at midfield for the traditional coin toss.
The school also recognized Matt O’Brien and Beth Blohm at halftime. They are two Pennsville Middle School teams who are Pennsville High School and Salem CC alumni.
Honorary captains also will be named for the team’s three other home games later in the season. The honorary captains for the Homecoming Game Oct. 17 will be former alumni association presidents.
A DAY OF FIRSTS
An inaugural game brings a plethora of firsts for the new program. Here are a few for the Mighty Oaks:
Play: Kahmaj Keamey off left tackle for 8 yards, 1Q (Several Riverview Sports News readers suggested a first-play run)
Pass completion: Cam Wright 12 yards to Darion Joyner, 1Q
Touchdown: Jerrell Burns 85-yard interception return, 2:13 2Q
Offensive TD: Malakhai McKenzie 2 run, 6:17 3Q
First Down: by penalty, 1Q
Tackle: Jermar Jones on Jayden Hines for 7-yard loss, 1Q
Sack: Still up for grabs
Turnover: Brian Pritchett fumble, 1Q
Takeaway: Ezzy Poutre fumble recovery, 2Q
SALEM’S INAUGURAL STARTERS
KICKOFF RETURN: Gio Parente, John Pettigrew, Charlie Shute, Terrin Walker, Jermar Jones, Tre McCloud, DJ Binck, Darion Joyner, Stephen Little, Aidan Hill, Jeremiah Russell
OFFENSE: Lamar McCoy, Bryson Cox-Patterson, Kahmaj Kearney, Darion Joyner, Marcus Williams, Brody Selfridge, Hayden Miller, Robert Daly, Jacob Hand, Terrin Walker, Cam Wright
DEFENSE: Raheem Tomoney, Jermar Jones, Charlie Shute, Lee Xavier, Ben Secouler, Sam DaSilva, Mark Moore, Sam Rowley, Ezzy Poutre, Aidan Alexander
SCARY MOMENT
The game was delayed for several minutes with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter as medical personnel attended to Raheem Tomoney, who appeared to have suffered a neck injury in an apparent collision with a teammate. Tomoney, a cornerback who played at Hudson Valley earlier in his career, was transported from the field to a local hospital for evaluation. He had movement in all his extremities when he left the field.
“I think that just precautionary,” head coach Jay Accorsi said. “They wanted to make sure he got looked at. They couldn’t get the face mask off because the face mask was twisted, so we couldn’t get the screws off, so that’s what made it challenging. “
ON FAMILIAR GROUND
Salem CC lineman Jacob Hand was back in his old stomping grounds for his first college game and just walking through the gates at Pennsville’s Lou D’Angelo Stadium being back a flood of happy memories.
“Playing here was nice,” he said. “Going back in the locker room and seeing our JV quarterback from last year (now varsity starter Jake Layfield) having my locker kind of fired me up a little bit. See that, it was nice. It brought back some memories.”
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